inspectorvito Posted January 8, 2016 Report Posted January 8, 2016 Has anyone ever inspected the same home within a short time span ? If so did you inform the client ?
Scottpat Posted January 8, 2016 Report Posted January 8, 2016 Has anyone ever inspected the same home within a short time span ? If so did you inform the client ? www.dsmproperty.com Seems like it happens once or twice a year for me. I always tell my client if I realize it before hand that I looked at this house before. Most of the time they ask me something like "Well how was it" or "What can you tell me about it", I jus tell them that I really don't recall what was found. Which is pretty much the truth! I tend to forget about a home once I write the report.
TimK Posted January 8, 2016 Report Posted January 8, 2016 I have seen this topic arise before. There is no reason to inform the client; it may lead to them expecting some form of discount. Just do your inspection like usual and charge the same way. There are enough inspections (in my experience) that take additional time beyond what I had initially expected to balance out the easy ones.
Marc Posted January 8, 2016 Report Posted January 8, 2016 I have seen this topic arise before. There is no reason to inform the client; it may lead to them expecting some form of discount. Just do your inspection like usual and charge the same way. There are enough inspections (in my experience) that take additional time beyond what I had initially expected to balance out the easy ones. Right. I avoid a Pandora's Box by avoid mentioning if I've inspected the house before. Now if the agent is the same person as before and he/she mentions at the beginning of the inspection that I've been there recently then I'm stuck with having to tell the client that the previous client paid for info found on that day and that I can release only info found on this inspection. I try to assure that my prior visit better prepares me for the current inspection. Marc
Mike Lamb Posted January 8, 2016 Report Posted January 8, 2016 This has happened to me more than a few times. I do not hold anything from my clients. I tell them it had already been inspected by me and would also tell them anything big that I saw. No discounts for the inspection. I conduct the inspection just like the first time. Not telling them would make me feel strange, and not in a good way.
Jim Katen Posted January 8, 2016 Report Posted January 8, 2016 I just tell them as soon as I figure it out. No one ever complains.
kurt Posted January 8, 2016 Report Posted January 8, 2016 Same here. Business practice #1 is disclose everything I know about a property. Simple concept. Works great.
John Kogel Posted January 9, 2016 Report Posted January 9, 2016 Second time is always a better report, although it might be only slightly better. Why? because the basic descriptions are done and we can spend more time on the minor mysteries. I tell them in an offhand fashion, by the way, I know this place.
Marc Posted January 9, 2016 Report Posted January 9, 2016 I don't collect the check until the inspection is finished so folks here tend to pry for info if they hear I've been there recently, perhaps to get the info they want without paying for an inspection. They don't mind walking away without paying me if they feel they have enough info on the house. Marc
Scottpat Posted January 9, 2016 Report Posted January 9, 2016 I don't collect the check until the inspection is finished so folks here tend to pry for info if they hear I've been there recently, perhaps to get the info they want without paying for an inspection. They don't mind walking away without paying me if they feel they have enough info on the house. Marc Sounds like you might want to rethink when you get paid. Get the paperwork done before the inspection including the fee. Tell them that you will be glad to talk about the house once all of the required paperwork is completed and the fee paid.
John Kogel Posted January 9, 2016 Report Posted January 9, 2016 I don't collect the check until the inspection is finished so folks here tend to pry for info if they hear I've been there recently, perhaps to get the info they want without paying for an inspection. They don't mind walking away without paying me if they feel they have enough info on the house. Marc That info is confidential, no?If the house is a POS, sounds like they often are, I suppose you might hint that your previous clients walked. But details should be kept confidential to a prospective (perspective?) buyer. Also, if client #2 wants his deposit back, he needs that official report. I don't get paid till done, that's pretty common here, standard practice.
Marc Posted January 9, 2016 Report Posted January 9, 2016 I don't collect the check until the inspection is finished so folks here tend to pry for info if they hear I've been there recently, perhaps to get the info they want without paying for an inspection. They don't mind walking away without paying me if they feel they have enough info on the house. Marc That info is confidential, no? It's confidential, indeed. If the house is a POS, sounds like they often are, I suppose you might hint that your previous clients walked. I don't dare do such a thing. If I do and the current client walks, the agent and seller will collectively press for my garroting But details should be kept confidential to a prospective (perspective?) buyer. Also, if client #2 wants his deposit back, he needs that official report. I don't require deposits. the past 13 years have not shown me much call for that. I don't get paid till done, that's pretty common here, standard practice. Marc
Erby Posted January 9, 2016 Report Posted January 9, 2016 Ok, the agreement is signed. "Will you be paying with cash, check or credit card?" Do you have the check number?" "What's the card number?" "OK, now that all the paperwork and payment is done, let's get on with the inspection." Not much of a problem around here. I mostly let them know up front that payment is due before the inspection starts. I've had one or two balk but not strongly. They can always stop payment on the check or protest the credit card charge. I can't take back the knowledge I've shared.
inspectorvito Posted January 9, 2016 Author Report Posted January 9, 2016 Some good responses here. For me it really depends on how soon after the first inspection was done. I have performed a second inspection on the same house, but it was 2 years later. I did not bother to inform the client. I realized it as I was pulling up to the house. Many renovations were done to the home. It was also not owned by my previous clients. I conducted the inspection as usual.
Marc Posted January 9, 2016 Report Posted January 9, 2016 Some good responses here. For me it really depends on how soon after the first inspection was done. I have performed a second inspection on the same house, but it was 2 years later. I did not bother to inform the client. I realized it as I was pulling up to the house. Many renovations were done to the home. It was also not owned by my previous clients. I conducted the inspection as usual. How soon is too soon? I avoid 'weaving the tangled web'. Even if it's the week after, which has happened more than once to me, I treat both clients equally. Neither has advantage. Marc
Jim Katen Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 As I see it, someone sometime will eventually figure out that I was there before. If I don't disclose it, I look like a douchebag.
Marc Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 As I see it, someone sometime will eventually figure out that I was there before. If I don't disclose it, I look like a douchebag. How so? What does your prior presence there have to do with it? Marc
Jim Katen Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 As I see it, someone sometime will eventually figure out that I was there before. If I don't disclose it, I look like a douchebag. How so? What does your prior presence there have to do with it? Marc It means that I had a prior relationship with the house and that I'm concealing that fact from the customer. It's dishonesty by omission. Whether or not my prior presence is important or not is debatable. But by not informing the customers, I'd deny them the opportunity to decide whether or not that's important to them.
kurt Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 Yeah. Buyer's are always cranked up to fever pitch and they're desperate for anyone in the ****ed up realtor's transaction process that they can implicitly trust and not feel anything's held back. We're that person. Why does anyone not want to be that person? What is gained by holding back anything you know to satisfy some imagined nonexistent ethical quandary? This is home inspector thinking, i.e., dumbshit. Money concerns, when you get paid, all that other stuff...is other stuff. Do it any way you want. When it comes to client relationship, that shit's sacred. If I was a buyer, and an inspector didn't tell me, I'd think they were a dick.
Nolan Kienitz Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 Typically I get paid at the time of the inspection. If client is out of town or won't be there I get paid in advance. Sometimes we do paperwork when inspection starts or sometimes at the end. I figured I could add some spike strips to my supply of tools if I had a client who was balking at paying. [] So far ... after 15 years ... no issues encountered.
John Kogel Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 I figured I could add some spike strips to my supply of tools if I had a client who was balking at paying. [] So far ... after 15 years ... no issues encountered. Spike strips to keep them from parking behind my truck - good idea, Nolan. []
Marc Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 To me, the trust issue is about being truthful in whatever I actually report to the client. I don't see why a client would be concerned if I had inspected the house before for someone else. If there were indeed a conflict of interest involved in two visits to the same house with different clients, then I shouldn't be doing the latter inspection in the first place. But I see no conflict of interest or even why a client would suspect a conflict of interest. Someone do tell me what the concern of the latter client might be so I can correct my disclosure practices. Marc
Jim Katen Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 To me, the trust issue is about being truthful in whatever I actually report to the client. I don't see why a client would be concerned if I had inspected the house before for someone else. If there were indeed a conflict of interest involved in two visits to the same house with different clients, then I shouldn't be doing the latter inspection in the first place. But I see no conflict of interest or even why a client would suspect a conflict of interest. Someone do tell me what the concern of the latter client might be so I can correct my disclosure practices. Marc Maybe they think that the seller is now pissed off at you and that another report from you will make their negotiations more difficult. Maybe they think that you might have missed something before and that you'll be less likely to report it now because it would conflict with your past report. Maybe they think that you've grown tired of inspecting this house and they'd be better off with a fresh inspector who's never seen it before.
kurt Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 Maybe they're human and want to know their adviser is completely open and honest about everything. Meaning everything, not just some things. Don't minimize the emotional state most buyers are in. Most are desperate even if they appear outwardly calm.
Ben H Posted January 12, 2016 Report Posted January 12, 2016 I just tell them as soon as I figure it out. No one ever complains. Same here.
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